Talk:Barely Breathing/@comment-3575890-20131108042505
I wrote this awhile back and I am fucking repeating myself again but I don't even fucking care because now is as good as any to reiterate this shit: I love Zoe Rivas, or at least I have grown to, HOWEVER, the double standards circulating in this fandom where she and Maya are concerned grates on my nerves to no end. Please do explain to me how Maya’s less-than-admirable Taylor Swift moment or anything else Maya has ever done to Zoe is even remotely on par with Zoe’s ongoing reign of cruelty towards Maya. And no, do NOT tell me she ‘stole’ Zoe’s boyfriend because 1) Zoe and Miles were never official to begin with, and 2) Maya did not hook up with Miles while he was seeing Zoe; in fact, she didn’t even begin to show interest in him until well towards the end of the summer block and that was long after Zoe issued a bitter rivalry with her. Zoe has had it out for Maya since day one and hasn’t relented on expressing her seething hatred since. Why should Maya have to acknowledge Zoe’s presence with kindness when Zoe suddenly decides to be civil? Why should it be on Zoe’s terms? Zoe has given Maya ZERO reason to trust her; ZERO reason to believe she is coming from a sincere place when she unexpectedly changes her tune, and it’s well justified too considering this wave of civility doesn’t last. We’ve all seen the promos. Let’s back up a moment here and consider that it is not in Maya’s nature to go to such overt extremes or lash out with such rage and ferocity UNLESS she is majorly triggered. I mean, this is the same girl who only an episode ago shot a look of sympathy at her former tormentor of all of last season when she honestly had no reason to care for her feelings. Maya is not a nefarious person. She has obviously been pushed to her breaking point, and understandably so seeing as Zoe bullied her all of last season, and most likely has already began her cyber bullying rampage by the time Maya writes and performs this song. Wishing death on anyone is wrong and I am not by any means excusing Maya’s revenge song, but the fact that people are (not surprisingly) making Maya out to be the anti-christ for retaliating against a reign of cyberbullying against her, that which led to a boy sexually assaulting her in an empty classroom MIND YOU, and then seemingly glossing over Zoe’s wrongdoings all together is vexing to say the least. While Maya’s song is in morbid poor taste and I certainly don’t condone it, it is obviously a form of retaliation from being triggered and provoked. I can see how the song can be construed as bullying, and it IS bullying, yes, but people neglect to acknowledge the part in where it has been drawn out through incessant bullying initiated by Zoe. I don’t understand how Maya is moreso on the receiving end of backlash than Zoe when Zoe doctors images of Maya to appear pronographic and posts them on the internet with the intent to irrevocably tarnish the girl’s reputation. This is never okay under any circumstances! Girls that end up in the same predicament as Maya have been known to commit suicide over this. It is not to be taken lightly and certainly not to be compared to the act of writing and performing a revenge song. High school is a cruel place for especially a girl. We women shoulder ridiculous standards and crippling expectations as it is. Greater value is put on our bodies and what we choose to do with them than actually on us and our autonomy. That in of itself is fucking disgusting, but it’s how the world operates and unfortunately probably won’t cease to operate for a long, long while. It is damn near impossible to escape scrutinity and gossip as a high school girl. Especially bearing the stigma of “The School Slut”, which Maya will probably have to carry with her throughout the rest of her high school days and will most likely never be able to completely shake now, will without a shadow of a doubt exacerbate these every day adversities. Zoe has just ensured that Maya’s high school experience will be ten times more difficult for her than the average girl — as if it hasn’t been already! So with that all said, sorry, no. Anything Maya has done to Zoe or will do to Zoe cannot possibly measure up unless she stoops down to the same level. Don’t get me wrong either though! I don’t agree with either girls’ detrimental actions towards each other, but it’s not even up for debate which girl has crossed a more controversial line. Maya’s song for Zoe at the very most will sadden, anger, and humiliate her for a solid class hour, and perhaps risidual embarassment may carry over into the rest of her day. But Maya’s always going to be known as that slutty girl that posted nudes on the internet; and if it gets out they are fake, she will be known as the girl who posted fake nudes on the internet for attention. Either way, it does not bode well for Maya. Maya’s song for Zoe does not destroy Zoe’s reputation to the point in where stigmatization is inevitable and it does not thrust her into a sexual spotlight that displays her to the public and makes her an open target for sexual harassment and various situations that potentially could be harmful or threatening. I mean, these images are on the internet for ANYONE to see including online predators and prospective future employers. It is shit like this that ruins people’s lives! So no matter how much you might personally think Maya is more in the wrong than Zoe, or how much less of a decent human being she is than Zoe, at least acknowledge that Zoe is not a hapless victim in this and is just as much bullying Maya as Maya is her. Furtherto my feelings on the matter: